FIRED DEPUTY DEFEATS HER FORMER BOSS

Openly gay woman running for sheriff in Ohio wins primary against Trump-supporting Democrat; gets 70% of vote

By Muri Assunção

New York Daily News
April 30, 2020

An openly gay woman has decisively won a race against her opponent — and former boss — in an election to decide the Democratic candidate who will run for Hamilton County Sheriff in November.

Charmaine McGuffey, 62, defeated Hamilton’s County current sheriff, Jim Neil, 61, and will now face Republican Bruce Hoffbauer in the general election.

In the stunning victory against a two-time incumbent, McGuffey received about 70% of the votes, according to unofficial results.

“I am absolutely thrilled,” McGuffey told local television station WCPO. “What made the difference is the message that I have,” she added. “The message that I am a strong leader, the message that I embrace criminal justice reform.”

The county Democratic Party endorsed McGuffey over Neil, who angered many Democrats after attending a Donald Trump political rally in 2016.

“In the end, [voters] realized my values are very different than Jim Neil’s values,” she said. “My values are very well aligned with the Democratic values.”

McGuffey, who appeals to a more progressive side of the party, worked in the Hamilton’s County Sheriff’s Office for more than three decades.

According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, Neil was elected sheriff in 2012 — the first Democrat elected sheriff in over 35 years. The following year he promoted McGuffey to major, but soon after that their relationship started to deteriorate.

In 2017, Neil fired McGuffey.

The sheriff says that the reason for the firing was because she’d created a hostile work environment, a rationale McGuffey categorically disagrees with.

She later sued her former boss, claiming that she was fired for being a lesbian, and for raising concerns about the use of force.

Besides the lawsuit, McGuffey also filed as a candidate to run against him in the primary. On Wednesday she celebrated her hard-fought victory.

"I am gratified by the overwhelming response from democratic voters that indicate they want the same criminal justice reform,” she said in a statement, according to WLWT5.